Crosstown

Crosstown. The Lake Street Connection. , The developers of the Minneapolis Street Railway Company gained control of the Saint Paul City Railway Company in 1885 and incorporated the Twin City Rapid Transit Company two years later. The routes of both systems were integrated over time. Today, many bus routes copy the patterns laid down by the streetcars., The Lake Street line, launched in 1905, was linked to Saint Paul the following year with the opening of a new bridge over the Mississippi River. As one of the few routes that provided direct passage between the two cities, the Selby-Lake line was a key part of the transit system, as were the connecting routes to downtown Minneapolis through the Phillips neighborhood. The "interurban" fare totaled 10 cents, with 5 cents collected in each city., The company began issuing transfers for travel within municipalities in about 1890. Instead of reducing revenue, transfers enticed more people to use the system, boosting ridership. The transfer point between the Chicago Avenue and Lake Street lines remains one of the busiest in Minneapolis., When Sears, Roebuck and Company opened this store in 1928, Chicago Avenue (foreground) was still lined by houses. Just to the right of the store, Lake Street extends towards Saint Paul., This 1951 photograph looks north on Chicago Avenue at the intersection of Lake Street. Although no streetcars are in view, you can see their tracks in the street and their power lines overhead., The design of transfers changed over the years. Conductors punched the date and time that the transfer was issued., A streetcar runs from Minneapolis to Saint Paul in 1907 over the recently opened Lake Street Bridge. Credit: Sweet, photographer/Minnesota Historical Society